Stars
by GhostyKitty
Summary: The story of a young soul growing and learning to navigate the world of shinigami and confusing social norms. Follow Hoshino Sakurako as she tries to make sense of the world she didn't get to grow up in. (Starts before canon, might go till the end.)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter** **1**

 _The sound of chains echoes in the darkness. A chill envelopes Sakurako's whole body, goosebumps make their way up her arms and back. The chains sound again. And again. Voices join them. They start out small and slowly grow louder and louder. "Sing for us," they cry, "sing, for your masters. Sing for the eternal god!" She lies there, limbs paralyzed, as her mouth opens in vain._

 _"...water…" she mumbles. "I need water…" Her voice is dry and scratchy. Not at all like the sweet, melodious soprano she used to be. There's a clicking noise that causes her to flinch. A shockingly cold sensation wraps around her neck._

 _"You insolent child," the Leader hisses through clenched teeth. "You should be glad you're alive, we preserve your life for the sake of our god and this is how you repay him?" The Leader begins to squeeze her neck. Her breath is being cut short. She can barely breathe now, much less sing._

"...aku...ko…"

 _"...p-please…" she grates out. "...-ust a -it…" The grip around her delicate neck tightens with even the smallest noises that make their way out of her mouth. "...I...an't,...-lease…" The Leader looks down at her with disdain before he hisses in pain. Sakurako is pushed away with a force that rattles her cage as the Leader begins to scream. The other members begin to panic. They don't know what to do. Suddenly, light floods the dark space._

"...akurako…"

 _Their screams increase in volume as the sounds of metal meeting flesh fill the air._

"Sakurako!"

* * *

The sleeping girl's eyes shot open to see an aging figure looming over her. "Kuchiki-taicho," she murmurs. Ginrei Kuchiki moved through the air with an elegance no other could achieve and settled himself under the tree next to her.

"Sakurako," the old captain's tone is firm, "I sent you to the academy for a reason, and that reason was not for you to nap outside." Sakurako scrambles to sit up and make herself more presentable to her savior.

"I'm incredibly sorry, Kuchiki-taicho, I-"

"I did not approach you to hear excuses," he says. "I am here to see why you're outside sleeping instead of training with your classmates." Sakurako's head lowers in shame. She motions to speak up, but a firm hand stops her. "I will be speaking to your instructor about this issue."

"But, Kuchiki-taicho, it isn't me, the others-" Sakurako's brows furrow as she tries to defend herself, "the others won't willingly spar with me. They all say that-"

"I already said that I'm not here to listen to your excuses." The Kuchiki head of house stands and gestures for Sakurako to follow him. The girl pouts and does so reluctantly.

As they make their way through the halls of Shino Academy, whispers flutter past the two. Anyone still lingering in the middle of the hall quickly makes way for the imposing figure and his ward. Rumors immediately spring up and make their way through the academy. When they reach the teacher's lounge, word has already traveled fast and the instructor was rushing around trying to prepare tea.

"Ah, Kuchiki-taicho, please come in," the flustered teacher rushing around the lounge was juggling a kettle of steaming water, some tea cups, and a tin of high quality tea leaves. Ginrei held up a hand to halt the teacher, gestured for them all to take a seat. After they all settle down, as much as possible in the presence of a captain, the meeting begins.

He opens his mouth and gets straight to the point. "Why is my ward taking naps under trees when she is supposed to be training with her classmates?" There's a tense moment of silence as the instructor struggles to come up with an answer.

"Kuchiki-taicho, I'm not quite sure what you mean-" the man answers sheepishly. "I have assigned everyone sparring partners so they can all get some well rounded training. Sakaho-"

"I am not here to listen to you babble, instructor," Ginrei interrupts. "I sent my ward here to be educated, not to be shunned by her peers." Sakurako perks up at this. The instructor looks down at his lap and fidgets for a moment before asking Sakurako to step out. With a sigh, she steps out and pulls a novel out of her pocket to read in the meantime. Other students are starting to walk about the halls again. Words struck the short girl's ears as the others pass by. Rumors of her being suspended or expelled rush by. Ill intended conversations and laughs permeate the atmosphere.

Sakurako closes her eyes and tunes the hurtful words out of her mind. A sense of calm washes over her as the words are muffled and a childish voice enters her mind. "Don't worry about them, Sa-chan." A childlike presence rests at her back. Sakurako tilts her head up to feel the presence extend over her shoulders, like a warm embrace.

"Hyakumonogatari…" Sakurako murmurs beneath her breath. "Thanks." The zanpakuto spirit giggles and hugs her tighter. The whispers around her fade away completely. She can feel their stares shooting through her, almost as if everyone is holding a bow and arrow and pointing it at her. Her concentration is broken and her eyes open when suddenly, everyone runs away from from the general vicinity. Then she realizes it's Ginrei's reiatsu. The intense force pushed everyone down or away, except for Sakurako. Having trained with the captain at home a few times, she's somewhat used to it, but in the end she still succumbs to the immense pressure. She collapses onto the ground. Trying to push herself up, Sakurako clenches her jaw and pushes up with her arms, but to no avail. There's no telling when the angered captain would let up, so she gives up and stays on the ground.

"Ginrei-sama must be very angry with the academy," Hyakumonogatari's light voice echoes through her head. "Maybe he'll just train you himself after this," she continues. The little girl's voice giggles again before dispersing completely. Sakurako sighs and wishes she'd napped somewhere else today.

"None of this would have happened if I'd just hid somewhere else…" she mumbles. Just then, Ginrei's reiatsu fades and the door to the teacher's lounge is opened. Sakurako scrambles up and looks up at her guardian.

"You will be switched to a class with people of equal strength, and intelligence," he states. Sakurako gazes up at him and a small smile emerges on her lips. "This also means you will graduate within the next year, so train hard." Sakurako's smile blows up into a full on grin as she launches herself at the man who saved her from the brink of death and disrepair only two years ago. Ginrei catches the small girl and chuckles a little himself.

"If I keep training with Byakuya can I graduate within the year?"

* * *

A/N: Second published fic ever! I don't really know how I'm going to update these next few months as I'm going overseas. I do have another chapter brewing right now and I should be able to update within this week. Let me know if anything looks wonky and I'll fix it ASAP!

Leave a review to feed the monster because the more you feed it the more chapters it poops out!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter** **2**

"Congratulations, Sakurako-chan," Sojun Kuchiki hugs the small girl as she nearly vibrates with excitement. "Father must have been quite adamant about his decision for him to release his reiatsu during the meeting." Sakurako nods and hums in agreement.

"He scared everyone off as well," she giggles. "I start next week!" Byakuya walks by with a stack of textbooks in his arms. Overhearing the conversation, he stops to congratulate his friend. Sakurako spins around to greet him, almost launching herself at him. She stops herself just in time to not run into the surprised boy who tips backward to avoid her, however, neither of them are completely balanced and everything comes crashing down. "Uwah," Sakurako groans and pushes herself up only to hug the still recovering Byakuya. Sojun can only stand back and chuckle at the display.

"Sakurako," Byakuya groans, "why?"

"Sorry about that," the small girl sits up and crosses her fingers bashfully. "I got really excited…"

"Yeah you did," the voice comes from behind the two young souls. The bright voice of the captain of the second division of the Gotei Thirteen and the Omnitsukido shoots through the young Kuchiki as he quickly gets up and jumps back from the busty woman.

"Shihouin Yoruichi," he growls. Said woman laughs and uncrosses her arms and scoops the other girl into her arms.

"Ora, I'm just here to congratulate this beautiful young lady here," Yoruichi teases and crushes the younger girl against her.

"Thank you ver-"

"Get away from her you devil cat!" Byakuya brandishes a bamboo practice sword and he charges at the pair of women, more specifically the one embracing his best friend. Yoruichi jumps back with Sakurako still in her arms as she dodges the hasty attack. With a boisterous laugh, she flickers away down the hall with the small girl in tow. One last teasing quip escapes her lips and she flickers away. A groan grows in Byakuya's throat as the frustration to losing to Yoruichi again boils over, while his father laughs in the background.

* * *

When Yoruichi finally puts me down, we're standing at a sweets stand. The smell of sugar and tea waft through the air. I take a deep breath and bask in the heavenly aroma. Yoruichi chuckles and pulls me into the quaint shop. She pats my head and says, "Think of this as a congratulations from Kisuke. He's too busy doing research right now, so he told me to congratulate you for him."

"Will he still drop by?" I ask. Yoruichi nods and pulls out a brown leather wallet. She plucks a couple bills from the back pocket and hands it to me. A chill runs up my spine at the thought of the amount of strawberry items we could buy. Strawberry daifuku, strawberry ice cream, strawberry dango…. Just the thought of the refreshingly perfect blend of sweetness and tartness makes me shiver. "Are you sure Urahara-san is okay with this?"

"Of course!" Yoruichi replies, brushing my concerns off. "This is his way of apologizing."

"Okay then." We rush in and start with an order of strawberry daifuku. When it arrives, we're already deep in a conversation about the recent gossip surrounding the Seireitei. Laughing about and sharing what we've each heard through the grapevine.

An hour later we're sitting outside, each with a cup of steaming green tea in a warm ceramic cup. The sun is starting to set, and everything is tinged with a nice golden glow. I glance down at the tea, and then at the street. It's filled with people going out to dinner or heading home. Home. The scars on my back throb lightly at the thought of what used to be my home. The incessant pain and the constant darkness kept me chained in one place. Then, one day I was freed by Kuchiki-taicho. He brought me back to the light, and for that, I will forever be indebted to the Kuchiki family.

"Sakurako," Yoruichi interrupts my thoughts with a quiet, intense voice. "How are you being treated at the academy?" The question isn't a surprise. It's not like someone from the Kuchiki family hasn't inquired about my education before. However, this was the first time Kuchiki-taicho appeared. I feel hesitant to answer.

"The academy is fine-"

"I'm not talking about your teachers, Sakurako. I'm talking about your classmates." I look back down at my cup of tea. The steam that was rising from the cup is already gone, and the warmth is fading.

"I haven't been able to train very well recently. My classmates used to be fine sparring with me. Whether it was kido practice or zanjutsu. Especially hand-to-hand, but recently they stopped pairing up with me. Sometimes they explicitly avoid me." I can feel Yoruichi's sharp gaze piercing through my soul. The ceramic tea cup feels stone cold now. "There's a lot of whispering. A lot more than when I started." I feel Yoruichi's arm wrap around my shoulder as she pulls me into her chest. I can feel my eyes start to sting. "I'm sorry, you're busy enough. shouldn't have to deal with this."

I pull away from her gentle embrace and I wipe at the tears with the sleeve of my academy uniform. "I'll be training with people who are strong enough to handle me soon." I smile and stand up. I place the cup down onto the tray we were provided with and bow my head. "Tell Urahara-san I said thank you for treating us today." With that I begin to make my way back to the Kuchiki compound.

* * *

When Sakurako reaches the Kuchiki compound, the smell of dinner is drifting out the door. However, the tight feeling in her chest prevents her from following it. Instead, she makes her way to the gardens. The sun still hasn't quite set, so she situates herself in one of the cherry blossom trees that litter the property. Sakurako lies on the thickest branch on her stomach. She gazes out onto the rest of the garden and listening to the ambient noises. The rushing water in the stream, the last few birds chirping to each other, and the leaves rustling in the breeze.

When the sound of crickets meet her ears, she realizes that it's night and she's fallen asleep outside again. As Sakurako realizes this, she flips on to her back to gaze at the vast expanse of clear skies. The night sky is filled with winking stars and the moon is casting silvery ribbons to the ground. The swishing of light steps on grass draws her attention back to the ground. It's Byakuya dressed in a yukata and holding a tray of bowls. It's only when her stomach lets out an embarrassing grumble that the small girl realizes how hungry she is.

"I saved some soup and rice for you if you're up to it," Byakuya jokes. Sakurako smiles and jumps down to meet her friend. They take a seat on the porch that leads inside while Sakurako devours the light dinner. "Where did Yoruichi take you to?" Byakuya asks. The eating girl smiles gently and tells him about how they went to the sweets stand to eat and talk. "So, why did Grandfather have to go to the academy today?" Sakurako freezes at the question. She'd never told Byakuya much about her time at the academy other than what she's been learning. The hesitation returns as she stuffs more food in her mouth to lengthen her thinking time.

"I don't really know why. All I know is that he came with the intention of moving me up to a more advanced class," is her fabricated response. Not too clear, but clear enough to satisfy the boy's curiosity.

Byakuya frowns, but accepts the answer. "Okay," he mumbles. They continue to sit in a comfortable silence, gazing at the stars and listening to the chirping crickets. Sakurako finishes her bowls of rice and soup and places them on the tray Byakuya brought them on. She picks it up, and after bidding her friend a goodnight, makes her way to the kitchen to wash the dishes. The boy left behind clenches his jaw and fist once she's out of sight and her steps fade away.

"Why won't she talk to me about it…?" He looks down at his feet and his frown deepens. The girl who appeared at his grandfather's side with wide, broken eyes around two years ago, was absolutely infuriating and impossible to get answers from. The one person he'd considered his best, and only, genuine friend up to this point in his life had never seemed so far away before. "Let me help you dammit."

* * *

A/N: I'm still deciding on how I want to progress the relationship between Byakuya and Sakurako. I definitely know who I want her to end up with just because I feel like it would result in a more interesting story, and you probably know who it is through the character tags. I'm probably going to be altering the timeline a little bit just so I can fit everything in, but it's most likely just going to be extending the time I write before it hits the canon timeline.

Let me know if you see any errors I missed and what your thoughts are! Leave a comment to feed the monster because the more you feed it the more chapters it'll poop out!


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